NOAA
Fisheries Service issued a rule under the Endangered Species Act today
to require fishing vessels in designated fisheries to take observers
on board to help collect information on bycatch of sea turtles. Collected
information from the observers helps better protect sea turtles from
being injured or killed in fishing nets. All sea turtles in the United
States are listed as endangered or threatened. Thousands die each
year as a result of getting entangled in fishing gear.

“We’re
issuing this rule to increase our ability to protect sea turtles,
and to restore their populations,” said Bill
Hogarth, NOAA Fisheries Service director. “Observers collect
key scientific information that we need to minimize bycatch in our
fisheries. This information also helps us carry out our obligations
under the ESA.”

NOAA
Fisheries Service will be better positioned to address the sea turtle
bycatch problem in the future as a result of the observer rule. Observers
will help determine whether existing measures to reduce sea turtle
bycatch are working, or whether new or additional measures are needed.
The rule will apply to designated fishing vessels operating in both
state and federal waters, and to designated U.S. fishing vessels on
the high seas.

Current
regulations under the Endangered Species Act allow NOAA Fisheries
Service to place observers on vessels on a short-term basis in response
to an emergency event, such as a mass sea turtle stranding. However,
these limited, temporary observer requirements do not enable the agency
to collect comprehensive information on all sea turtle-fishery interactions
of concern. The new rule allows NOAA Fisheries Service to identify
potential sea turtle bycatch problems before they reach crisis levels,
which could ultimately result in stricter management measures.

Under
this rule, each year NOAA Fisheries Service will publish in the Federal
Register a draft and final determination of fisheries it
intends to monitor for sea turtle interactions. The determination
will be based on the best available information regarding sea turtle-fishery
interactions, sea turtle distribution or fishing gear characteristics.

NOAA
Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our
nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific
research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries Service provides
effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation,
supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping
to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational
opportunities for the American public.

NOAA
is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through
the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events
and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing
environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources.
Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries
and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network
that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.